LONDON (Reuters) – Britain’s economy grew 0.7% in the first three months of this year compared with the previous quarter, above an initial estimate of 0.6% growth, official figures showed on Friday.
The figures come less than a week before Britons vote in an election in which opinion polls show Labor Party leader Keir Starmer replacing Conservative Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
Data on Friday from the Office for National Statistics confirms that the British economy has emerged from a shallow recession in early 2024.
But the overall growth picture is weak. First-quarter gross domestic product was just 0.3% higher than a year earlier, above an initial estimate of 0.2%.
Economists polled by Reuters did not expect any revisions to quarterly or annual growth estimates.
The British economy has been struggling since the last national election in December 2019, hit by the COVID-19 pandemic (which dealt a lasting blow to the workforce) as well as the Russian invasion of Ukraine and subsequent trade frictions. to Brexit.